This disclosure relates to measuring in-situ properties of a mixture of formation fluids from different depths to identify properties relating to the compatibility of the formation fluids.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of any kind.
Reservoir fluid analysis may be used in a wellbore in a geological formation to locate hydrocarbon-producing regions in the geological formation, as well as to manage production of the hydrocarbons in these regions. A downhole acquisition tool may carry out reservoir fluid analysis by drawing in formation fluid and testing the formation fluid downhole or collecting a sample of the formation fluid to bring to the surface. For example, the downhole acquisition tool may use a probe and/or packers to isolate a desired region of the wellbore (e.g., at a desired depth) and establish fluid communication with the subterranean formation surrounding the wellbore. The probe may draw the formation fluid into the downhole acquisition tool. Once inside the downhole acquisition tool, the formation fluid may be directed to a fluid analysis component containing sensors that can measure fluid properties of the formation fluid. The hydrocarbon-producing regions in the geological formation may be located based on the measured fluid properties of the formation fluid.
Many reservoirs may have more than one hydrocarbon-producing region. The different formation fluids from each region may have their own particular fluid properties. When formation fluids from different regions mix, however, the mixture may have distinct properties from that of either of the original formation fluids. Depending on the properties of the mixture, the formation fluids from different regions may or may not be compatible with one another. In many cases, the properties of a mixture of formation fluids from different regions may be estimated based on the individually measured properties of the different formation fluids. In other cases, samples of each of the formation fluids from the different regions may be obtained individually and brought to the surface for analysis in a laboratory. Still, it may be difficult to estimate the behavior of a mixture of the different formation fluids from the different regions based on the properties of each formation fluid individually. Moreover, mixing the formation fluids in a laboratory at the surface may not fully reveal the manner in which the same mixture might behave in the downhole environment. Since the behavior of the mixture of the different formation fluids from the different hydrocarbon zones of the wellbore may impact the decisions for managing the well to produce these hydrocarbons, it is highly valuable to identify whether the formation fluid from the different hydrocarbon zones are compatible.